Maria Signorelli: The Life and Legacy of Italy's Most Famous Puppeteer

A new book, 'Piccoli personaggi, grandi incanti' (Giunti, 2023), authored by Giuseppina Volpicelli, chronicles the life and work of her mother, Maria Signorelli (1908–1992), a key figure in Italian puppet theater. The book will be presented on April 11, 2024, at the Biblioteca Vallicelliana in Rome. Signorelli, born in Rome to Olga Resnevic (translator of Russian literature) and Angelo Signorelli (an early collector of modern art), grew up in a vibrant artistic salon frequented by Tommaso Marinetti, Luigi Pirandello, and Sibilla Aleramo. At age eight, set designer Sergej Djagilev gave her first paints. She trained under Anton Giulio Bragaglia in experimental theater, creating her first puppets from ribbons, fabrics, and found objects. In Berlin, she discovered Brecht and Kurt Weill's modern theater. In 1937, she participated in the exhibition of European women artists at the Jeu de Paume in Paris. After WWII, in 1947, she officially founded the Opera dei Burattini. She also created a chair of Puppet Theater in L'Aquila in 1955 and recruited students from the Accademia di Arte Drammatica Scharoff, including Lina Wertmüller and Carlo Verdone. Her home in Via Corsini, Rome, houses a collection of about 5,000 pieces from the 18th to 20th centuries, including puppets from Vincenzo Podrecca. The collection is partly permanently exhibited at the Centro Podrecca – Maria Signorelli in Cividale del Friuli.